Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1887-02-10
WASHINGTON LETTER.


from Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, January IS. 1887.
The Unted States Senate has done two
notable things this week. 1t has given the
British lions tail vicious twist, and it has
again refused to give the women who want
tn vote II chance to submit the constitu-
tional amendment on woman suffrage to
the state legislatures.
Ii is interesting to he reminded now and
then tina. the American Eagle can still
soar. and that the fire of our revolution
airy sires rs not extinct. The belligcrent
oratory of senators ingalls,. Frye and Hale
has furnished ample proof OF this The oc-
casion was Il debate ON the bill empower
ing the president to close the ports oil the
United States against ,'anadian imports. as
IA measure Of retaliation, in ease Grca Brit
ain persists in violating her treaty obiea-
tions by sahjecting American fishermen Z"
indignitics and outraSes in Canadian
waters.
senator Ingalls, thought it was time tn
settle the fishery difficulties either by NJ
gotiations or 10y war. The measure under
discussion was simply one Of retaliation.
1t was All eye for an eye and a fish for
fish, an insult for AN insult. Countries
had been inundated with blood on less
provocation.
senator Fry declared that the annals Of
history--even Of the Fiji Islands might be
searched without, finding cases of Outrage
so brutal and inhuman. All these eases,
he said, had been brought to the attention
OF the British government. There was not
Il line in the history Of England for the last
300 years that gave the slightest reason to
believe that in the pursuit OF gain, in the
pursuit OF trad. she would ever permit the
right Of another to stand in the way Of her
progress Senator Morgan thought the
law could be enacted without blood thirsty
threats, and senator Vest advised caution.
When the cause Of woman came up in the
Senate Tuesday, there were about hun
dred ladies from all parts Of the country
leaders in the woman suffrage movement
in the senate gallery anxiously awaiting
the result. senator Blair Of New Hamp-
shire, woman's best senatorial friend, had
promised to make an effort to get the ques-
ton up for debate at this hour. The pet
measures of several senators were in the
way as unfinished business, but they gal
lantly voted against their own bills la ia
vor of the ladies. senator Beck was one
of these. lie had intended to bring up his
bill preventing members Of congress from
acting as attorneys for railroads, and he
mentioned that II distinguished lady Miss
Anthony had sent in for him three times
the day before. and he had refused to go
out to see her because he knew he would
be unable to refuse what she would ask.
lie knew she would ask him to waive the
claims Of his important question in favor
of hers.
The women are not asking congress- To
let them vote, us congress has not that
power. They ask congress to agree that
the following proposed amendment to the
constitution may be submitted to the
various state legislatures. THE right Of
citizens OF the United States to vote shall
not he denied on account 81 sex. Congress
shall have power. by appropriate legsla-
ton. To enforce the provisions Of this ar
tcle.'
Half IA dozen senators made short speech
rs for and against woman suffrage. and
then by "A vote of n to Ii the proposed
amendment was again rejected. The dis
appointed ladies in the gallery repaired inn
mediately To the Metropolitan church.
where they opened their nineteenth annual
-,
discussed man in general and the law
makers of the United States in particular
in language suitable to their outraged feel
ings.
1t was sad to see Miss Anthony, that
grim, resolute veteran III woman's fight Tor
and working 50 hard for forty
years, she ACKNOWLEDGED that the promised
hand seemed yet long way off. She knew
that woman must have all her rights in
time, but there was no telling how long she
would have to wait
Mrs. Shattuck, of Massachusetts, who il
/, fine speaker with fine voice, thinks it
will he at least twenty years before all the
women of the United States will be able to
vote. She divides the women who do not
want to vote into six classes: First, the
Second, the uniformed, third,
those who are afraid Of their gentlemen
friends; fourth. those who always shirk
their duties; fifth, those who shrink from
new duties because they fear their inability
to perform them well, and sixth, those
Who fear the influence Of the ballot ON inn
moral Glasses of women, and who think
there is too much voting already.
She gave an eloquent account Of the good
women are doing in Temperance, in labor
unions, in lifting mp the degraded every
whore, and closed her speech by an earnest
appeal directly to her audience. to enlist
under the banner NJ those who ask for the
h.Iios